Empire State Building | Height, construction, history and facts (2023)

Empire State Buildingwith steel constructionskyscraper102-story survey completed inNYin 1931 and was the tallest building in the world until 1971. The Empire State Building is located in MidtownManhattan, on Fifth Avenue at 34th Street, and remains one of the most distinguished and iconic buildings in the world.USAand is one of the finest examples of modernismArt DecoProject.

At the time of its construction, there was fierce competition for the title of tallest building in the world. EITHERChrysler buildingclaimed the title in 1929, and the Empire State Building claimed it in 1931 with a height of 1,250 feet (381 meters), courtesy of himiconicSpire that was originally intended to serve as a docking station for aircraft. A 68-meter antenna was added in 1950, bringing the building's overall height to 449 meters (1,472 ft), but the height was reduced to 443 meters (1,454 ft) in 1985 when the antenna was replaced. (At the time, One World Trade Center, which officially opened in 1972, was the tallest building in the world.)

The main duo behind the construction of the Empire State Building wasJuan J. RaskobmiAl Schmied🇧🇷 Raskob, a self-made business tycoon and former president ofGeneral-Motors-CorporationThe Treasury Committee looked like an unlikely pair on paper with Smith, the former Democratic governor of New York. In all likelihood, their enduring friendship was based on mutual acknowledgment of their similar origin stories as children born into struggling Roman Catholic immigrant families. Raskob and Smith could appreciate thatdiplomaticthe whole world had to do before it became public in the United States. Before drafting plans for the Empire State Building in 1929, Smith recruited Raskob to serve as chairman of the Democratic National Committee and as his own campaign manager in his second presidential bidUS Presidential Election 1928🇧🇷 His defeat by the Republican candidateHerbert Hoover, claimed the country was reluctant to risk the economic prosperity of the 1920s by electing a Democrat; it also suggested that voters were unwilling to vote for a Catholic who might undermine the values ​​of the Protestant majority.

After losing the 1928 election and his administration as a presidential candidate, Smith remained unemployed. Whether Raskob or Smith can be credited with the original idea of ​​building the skyscraper on the former site of the original Waldorf Astoria Hotel is unclear, but the two concluded that it would be a collaborative project that would make both sense and... also would be sensational halfway through her life. Raskob would be a critical financier who would also be tasked with recruiting other investors, and Smith was onefreundlichtrusted person facing the public to guide the project. With the establishment of the Empire State Building Corporation and his new role as President, Smith announced plans for the record building on August 29, 1929. Its architects, Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Associates, designed a building with more than 100 stories.

Construction began 200 days later, on March 17, 1930. Between the time Smith made the announcement in August and the start of construction in March, thestock marketfell in October 1929, and theGreat Depressionbegan to take over. However, construction continued and proved to be a major employer in New York City. The Empire State Building officially opened on May 1, 1931immenselyThe skyscraper took less time than anyone could have predicted and was completed in just 410 days. Despite the publicity that surrounded the Empire State Building, its opening was still badly affected by the accidental Great Depression. Much of the office space remained rent-free, so the building was nicknamed "The Empty State Building". It took almost 20 years for the building to become profitable.

Despite its slow start and eventual dethroning of the world record for which it was built, the Empire State Building has become an enduring icon of New York City to the world and to New Yorkers themselves. The observatories are on the 86th and 102nd floors, and a small observation deck is on the 103rd floor. The observatories welcome millions of visitors each year, and since 1994 an annual competition has offered couples a chance to win oneexclusivewedding ceremonyvalentines dayin the observatory on the 86th floor.

Notable appearances of the Empire State Building in some of the most important buildings of the 20th centuryRomanticThe films may have served as inspiration for the competition. firstlove case(1939) and later its remakeA case to remember(1957) hapless film lovers make memorable plans to meet again after a long time on the roof of the Empire State Building. The hit romantic comedyInsomnia in Seattle(1993) refers directly to thisA case to rememberMeg Ryan WeatherTom HanksThe characters from eventually meet at the Empire State Building's Observatory. Besides your romanceconnotations, the Empire State Building has appeared in a range of popular culture media, beginning with perhaps the first and most famous in filmmy king, opened in 1933, shortly after the building's inauguration. An exhibit at the Empire State Building pays tributepiercingPresence of the skyscraper in the popularculturalPresents a montage of hundreds of his features from movies, video games, comics, and more.

The Empire State Building was also recognized for itsgreen architecture initiatives🇧🇷 In 2020, the skyscraper completed more than 10 years of modernization that significantly reduced its energy consumption, reduced emissions by around 40% and increasedefficiency.